In recent years, food manufacturers have increased the play value and visual attractiveness of their food products in hopes of obtaining or maintaining market share, particularly with young consumers. For instance, manufacturers often create food products that assume appealing shapes such as fish or animals. Manufacturers also produce food products that comprise multiple pieces that can be separated before consumption. Typically, multi-piece food products having multiple pieces are intended to provide amusement to young consumers and aesthetic appeal to older consumers.
In addition to increasing the play value and aesthetic appeal of their products, food manufacturers have also been trying to develop fruit-based confection products, which provide additional nutritional value for young consumers. Such confectionary fruit snacks are well known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,176 to Taylor et al. discloses a taffy-like confection made with real fruit pieces. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,410 to Bell et al. discloses a hard confection product made with fruit juice and U.S. Pat. No. 6,548,090 to Dwivedi discloses an extrudable confection made with fruit concentrate.
However, the prior art listed does not disclose a starch-based confectionary food product with high levels of fruit, particularly, such a food product having multiple, intertwined strands. As a result, there is a need in the food industry for a multi-piece food product having multiple, intertwined strands comprised from a starch-based confectionary formulation with a high level of fruit.